UTICA, NY – The Utica College women's field hockey team will travel to St. John Fisher at 5 p.m. on Saturday, November 5 to battle the Cardinals for the right to be named Empire 8 champions. 
 
How to Watch: Live stream and live stats will be provided for Saturday's game by following https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sjfc/#live. 
 
Last Time Out: The Pioneers enter the championship game as the third-seed after taking down two-seeded Hartwick on Tuesday, 2-1. Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) was responsible for both goals as she gave UC a 1-0 lead on a two-on-none Pioneers fast break while also capitalizing on a penalty stroke in the third period to give UC a 2-1 lead. UC attempted 13 shots on the night, five of which by Whitehouse while Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) fired off two shots each. The team's defense, with the likes of Jenna Carbone (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) and Chloe Williams (Holland Patent, NY/Holland Patent) amongst others, helped limit the Hawks to eight shots throughout the game. Chamberlain recorded five saves on seven shots on goal while Lexi Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was credited with a defensive save in the first period. 
 
Lead the Way Whitehouse: Sabrina Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) has done it all for Utica this season. Whitehouse has totaled three hat tricks including one with a season high four goals against Keuka on September 17. The graduate student has captured a point in every game this season except one. All of this has led to her leading the Empire 8 in goals and points with 20 and 45. She also enters the championship game leading the E8 in game-winning goals with four as UC will look to her to hoist the trophy come Saturday.
 
She's a Magnet: Leading the Pioneer program in all-time saves, Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) continues to be a force in the cage. Totaling 111 saves this season, Chamberlain enters the title game ranking fifth in the conference in saves per game as well as with a 2.78 goals against average. 
 
Going out on Top: The Pioneers entered this season with a plethora of players using their extra year of eligibility. With four graduate students and four seniors, there is an opportunity to end their careers as Pioneers as champions. Three of those players, Whitehouse, Sydney Scaccia (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), and Madeline Krecidlo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro), are leading the team in scoring. Scaccia continues to be multi-dimensional with 12 goals and 12 assists on the season while Krecidlo has totaled 13 goals this season.
 
Top-Ranked E8 Offense: Utica comes into the championship game as the third-seed but also as the number one ranked offense in the Empire 8. Ranked first in shots (15.06), points (10.78), goals (3.944), and assists (2.889) per game, UC sweeps the board offensively. Not only does Utica have the E8 leading scorer, but also four of the top five goal scorers in the E8 in Whitehouse (20), Krecidlo (13), Scaccia (12), and Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) (11). The Pioneers elite offense will look to show themselves on the main stage come Saturday. 
 
How May I Assist You: Having the number one ranked team in the E8 in assists, the Pioneers demonstrate flawless passing throughout their roster. Leading the way in the E8 is Jeslyn Files (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) and Scaccia who are tied for first with 12 on the year. Right behind them at 10 is freshman standout Mackenzie Mix (Camden, NY/Camden) where she ranks tied for fourth in the conference.
 
Remembering 2014: This will be the first time the Pioneers will be battling for an E8 championship since 2017. The last time UC hoisted the trophy was in 2014 which capped off an 18-3 record. In that championship game, head coach Nikki Kieffer was playing in her senior season. Ironically, it was St. John Fisher that the 2014 team beat 3-0 to capture its third straight title.
 
Meeting History: This will be the 16^th matchup between the two programs with Utica leading the series 8-7. Their most recent match was earlier this season on October 26. After going scoreless in the first half both teams scored each of their goals in the third period. Fisher outdueled Utica 3-1 while Shannon Jedreicich (Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills East) scored the lone goal for the Pioneers and Megan Chamberlain (Queensbury, NY/Queensbury) finished with nine saves. Utica was without some key pieces in this game that look to be ready to go on Saturday. 
 
Scouting the Cardinals: St. John Fisher (11-7, 8-0 E8) enters the championship off a 6-0 victory over the fourth seeded Nazareth College. The Cardinals are led by Bre Socker with 44 points on the season where she ranks second in the Empire 8. Overall, Fisher ranks second in shots with 11.89 per game and third in both goals and assists per game with 2.667 and 1.833, respectively. Fisher will look to limit the Pioneers with their top ranked defense anchored by Sophia Trozzi at goalkeeper who leads the E8 in shutouts with seven.

Up Next: The winner of the Empire 8 championship game will receive an automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.